Setting the Scene:
The Wittenberg University Tigers dropped to No. 20 in the American Football Coaches Association rankings after losing their first regular season football game in nearly four years last Saturday. The Tigers fell to 2-1 on the season after a 26-24 defeat at Alma on Sept. 15, but there is no time to rest. One of the top contenders in the North Coast Athletic Conference comes calling this week as Wabash College invades Edwards-Maurer Field in the 2001 North Coast Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Little Giants are coming off a stinging loss of their own, a 58-33 road defeat at nationally ranked Wheaton College last Saturday. Wabash, which is led by first-year Head Coach Chris Creighton, is now 1-1 on the season, including a season-opening 45-21 home victory over Manchester College on Sept. 8.
Wittenberg Athletes Giving Back:
About a dozen Wittenberg athletes representing various mens and womens athletic teams will be on hand during Saturdays game against Wabash collecting donations for the American Red Cross from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. The athletes will be dressed in uniform and will be standing at the gates holding collection canisters, hoping to collect money that will go toward providing relief for victims of the recent terrorist attacks in New York, Washington, D.C. and Pennsylvania.
This effort will be led by J.J. Searls, head golf coach and assistant mens basketball coach, and student-athletes Meghan Gaydos and Kevin Longley.
Ray Mears Reunion:
Wittenberg is hosting a reunion of mens basketball players who were coached by Ray Mears. Mears coached mens basketball at Wittenberg from 1957-62 before moving on to the University of Tennessee and enjoying tremendous success leading the Volunteers. While at Wittenberg, Mears compiled a 121-23 record, won three Ohio Athletic Conference regular season titles, three OAC tournament titles and the 1961 NCAA College Division National Championship.
Wittenberg alums who have returned for the occasion this weekend are former players Skender Brame, Terry Deems, Claude Graves, Bob Hamilton, Gabe Kovacs, Steve McCullough, Eldon Miller, Roger Rogos, Dick Shilts, Bernie Thompson, Bernie Weiss, Don Wolfe, Bob Cherry and Tony Vedova, as well as team manager Rev. Dr. Don Hillerich.
On the Air:
During the next two weeks, there will be a myriad of ways to catch Wittenberg Tiger football action:
Marty Bannister, the voice of the Tigers as the play-by-play announcer on WBLY Radio (1600 AM), will call this weekends game against Wabash with his usual broadcast partner, former Wittenberg All-American lineman Xan Smith. Scott Leo will be roaming the sidelines and handling portions of the pre-game and halftime shows.
The WBLY broadcast is carried live on the Internet through Wittenbergs athletics web site, www5.wittenberg.edu/news/athletics. Users need to have Real Audio downloaded to listen to the game.
The WBLY broadcast can also be heard each week via telephone by calling TEAMLINE at 1-800-846-4700 and entering 1098 as the team code. A portion of the proceeds from every call to TEAMLINE is paid to Wittenberg as a commission.
Wabash College football is broadcast on the college station, WNDY Radio (91.3). That broadcast is also carried on the Internet using Real Audio on the Wabash College web site, www.wabash.edu/sports. Wabash Sports Information Director Brent Harris and student Matt Abid will handle announcing duties.
In addition, Wabash football can be heard on WVXI Radio (106.3 FM) in Crawfordsville, Ind. Rob Lee, Terry Byron, John OMalley and Mark Maxwell will broadcast the game as part of the Radio Park Sports Network.
More on the Air:
Thats just one week of Wittenberg Tiger action. For the Homecoming weekend showdown against Allegheny College, the following options will present themselves:
Bannister will be in his usual spot, but he will have unusual accompaniment. Joining him in the broadcast booth will be former Ohio State University grid star Jeff Logan, while Scott Leo will man his usual station along the sidelines with in-game reports. Logan has previously called Ohio State games for the Buckeyes statewide network, and last year he filled in for the Hiram game in Week 9 of the 2000 season.
Even more unusual, however, will be a simulcast with Time Warner Cable in Dayton. The broadcasts will be aired on Channel 59, 25, 69 or 30, depending on each service area. The game can be seen three times during the following week on tape delay: Sept. 29 at 10 p.m., Oct. 1 at 9:30 p.m. and Oct. 4 at 9:30 p.m.
In addition, Allegheny football can be heard on WMGW Radio (1490 AM) in Meadville, Pa. The voice of the Gators is Jonathan Whaley, while Vic Kress handles color duties. Their broadcasts are also carried live on the Allegheny web site, www.allegheny.edu/athletics.
Homecoming/Athletics Hall of Honor:
Homecoming and Athletics Hall of Honor festivities are slated for Sept. 28, 29 and 30. As always, one of several hubs of activity will be the HPER Center and Edwards-Maurer Field, highlighted by the football game between Wittenberg and Allegheny at 1 p.m.
Other athletic events scheduled for the weekend are mens and womens lacrosse alumni games, beginning at 9 a.m. and a volleyball tournament that features some of the finest competition in the nation throughout the day on Friday and Saturday.
Athletics Hall of Honor induction ceremonies will take place on Saturday evening after the football game. The honorees this year are former football tight end Ron Duncan (62), volleyball and softball standout Kim Harshbarger (79), basketball star Pat Beasley (73) and football and baseball pioneer Nathan Harter (08), who will be presented by his granddaughter Rachel Harter (79).
Scouting the Tigers:
Wittenberg features a balanced offensive attack despite the loss of seven starters from last years 12-1 NCAA Division III regional finalist squad. But what Wittenberg hasnt done is consistently put together sustained offensive drives. The big play has been an unusual calling card for a Tiger team that has always boasted a ball-control offense predicated on a strong ground game.
Junior Daniel Grove leads the team with 348 yards rushing for a 116 yards per game average and team-best six touchdowns. Senior Michael Aljancic has been nothing short of sensational with 18 catches for 314 yards and three touchdowns. And junior quarterback Greg Cornett has completed 41 of 68 passes for 640 yards and five touchdowns.
Defense, expected to be a strength for the Tigers in 2001 after Wittenberg led the NCAC in total defense a year ago, has ironically been victimized by the big play as well. Examples include a 97-yard scoring reception by Urbana, a 61-yard TD run by Heidelberg and 373 yards on 33 completions by Alma (11.3-yard average).
Junior linebacker Ryan Gresham leads the Tigers with 22 tackles. Senior defensive end Tim Daoust tops the squad with six tackles for loss, including four sacks.
Scouting the Little Giants:
Wabash has plenty of offensive firepower, led by record-setting quarterback Jake Knott, who is averaging 293.5 passing yards per game and seven touchdowns in 2001. Chris Morris is the teams top rusher with 118 yards on 22 carries, and All-NCAC tight end Ryan Short leads a talented receiving corps with 19 catches for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Defensively, the Little Giants have struggled under a new system. Wabash is yielding 375 yards per game, including 250 yards passing per game. Defensive back Stu Johnson tops the squad with 14.5 tackles.
Last Meeting with Wabash:
In a game that featured a bit of everything, Wittenberg came alive following a 2-hour, 35-minute lightning/change-of-venue delay to defeat the Wabash in the 2000 NCAC opener for both teams.
The Little Giants jumped in front in the first quarter after the game was delayed by a problem with grubs in the field. Wittenberg answered early in the second quarter as Casey Donaldson scampered five yards off right tackle, his record-setting 55th rushing touchdown. Mother Nature then stepped in, and the game was suspended by lightning. Due to impending darkness, the game was moved to nearby Crawfordsville High School.
When play resumed, the Tigers got a touchdown from wide receiver Michael Aljancic and a field goal from Ryan Walker to break the tie. Then in the second half, Wittenberg got a 27-yard interception return from defensive back Elio Harmon, another Walker field goal, a 58-yard touchdown on a halfback option from Donaldson to wide receiver Labon Storts, and a four-yard TD reception from quarterback Anthony Crane to tight end Josh Garber.
Crane had his best day as a collegian, completing 19-of-31 passes for 255 yards and two touchdowns. Both Aljancic and Storts topped the century mark in yards receiving. Defensively, Wabash's potent offense was bottled up for just 173 yards as linebacker Trevor Yost had a huge game with 13 tackles.
Last Week:
The Tigers run of 33 straight regular season wins came to a halt as host Alma College kicked a late field goal to win 26-24.
The Scots scored touchdowns on two of their first three possessions to open the game. It was the first 14-point deficit a Wittenberg team had faced in a regular season game since Sept. 24, 1994, when Allegheny led the Tigers, 20-6, in what became a 27-12 Gator victory. The Tigers responded with a 62-yard touchdown run by Daniel Grove and a 17-yard TD reception by junior wide receiver Adrian Crane scored. Alma added a field goal and a touchdown late in the second quarter.
After the offensive fireworks of the first half, the final 30 minutes provided much the opposite. Wittenberg opened the second-half scoring with a 24-yard field goal by sophomore Conrad Hindert, and then Grove put the Tigers ahead with a one-yard TD run with 5:20 remaining in the game. The extra point by Hindert gave the Tigers a one-point lead.
The Wittenberg defense needed one more stop, but the Alma offense, operating exclusively out of the shotgun, drove downfield for the game-winning 18-yard field goal. The Tigers rally fell short as sophomore wide receiver Skip Iverys knee touched down a yard short on a fourth-down pass play with 1:25 remaining.
Cornett had 257 yards passing and one touchdown, Michael Aljancic had the third-best receiving day in Wittenberg history with 143 yards on 10 catches and Grove finished with 120 yards on 24 carries, his second straight 100-yard game.
Defensively junior defensive end Allen DAndrea had team-highs of nine tackles and three sacks.
Big Third Quarters:
In the third quarter, Wittenberg has posted 31 points to its opponents 0 during the 2001 season. For the second half as a whole, Urbana managed just a lone touchdown in the fourth quarter and Alma scored its game-winning field goal late in the fourth last week.
Streaks:
Last Saturdays loss snapped Wittenbergs school-record regular season win streak at 33, dating back to Nov. 4, 1997 against the College of Wooster. It also brought to an end a run of 12 straight regular season road victories, also dating back to the 1997 defeat at Wooster.
Wittenberg still has several streaks intact, however. The Tigers put a 31-game regular season home winning streak on the line this week, dating back to the second game of the 1996 season. The Tigers have also reeled off 22 straight NCAC victories.
Darn Scots:
Amazingly, Wittenbergs only two regular season losses since 1996 have come against teams nicknamed the Scots Wooster on Nov. 4, 1997 and Alma on Sept. 15, 2001. The last team to defeat the Tigers in a regular season game not nicknamed the Scots? Next weeks opponent, Allegheny, which goes by the rather unique moniker of Gators. Allegheny defeated Wittenberg in Week 2 of the 1996 campaign by a 26-14 count.
Coach of the Year:
Joe Fincham is now 54-6 in his career. Perhaps even more impressive, Fincham is 50-3 in regular season games. Last year, he became the first Wittenberg coach to earn conference coach of the year honors three straight years. Dave Maurer won the award in the Ohio Athletic Conference three times in four years (1976, 1978, 1979) and Bill Edwards coached at a time when such awards were not given. Maurer and Edwards both also won national coach of the year on two occasions.